Gleason: Despite loss, Chester should be proud of season

Saturday

Nov 30, 2013 at 2:00 AM

SYRACUSE — The problem with chasing the biggest prize in high school football is that sometimes you must beat the biggest team in the state. Sometimes you prepare as well as you could have prepared and it's not enough.

Kevin Gleason

SYRACUSE — The problem with chasing the biggest prize in high school football is that sometimes you must beat the biggest team in the state. Sometimes you prepare as well as you could have prepared and it's not enough.

The other team is better.

Chester ran into a bit of Carrier Dome culture shock on Friday afternoon. The Hambletonians faced a Class D team in school size only, not people size. And the Randolph High Cardinals, located near Buffalo, threw in a heavy dose of athleticism and speed to boot.

By the end, there wasn't a whole lot Chester could do. There was no mystery behind Randolph's 42-13 win for the state championship.

"They were as good as advertised,'' Chester coach Ron Stover said on the way to the team bus and out of a season that included a 10-2 record. "We knew what they were going to do and couldn't stop it anyway.''

There are big teams, and there are big and talented teams. Randolph was the latter, its 22-game win streak and status as defending champs serving as proof. Even given Randolph's heady gridiron tradition, coach Brent Brown said this team was particularly blessed with large and talented players.

"You just don't see kids this big in Class D,'' Brown said.

Shoot, you generally don't see them that big in Classes C or B either.

"They played us tough,'' Brown said. "Our size difference was probably the difference. We might have worn them down a bit.''

Brown figured his team would gain yardage on the ground. But he was concerned with Chester's passing game after watching film of quarterback Vinny Aloi throwing a state record-tying seven touchdowns in the semifinal win over Moriah.

Aloi encountered problems against Randolph, however. Randolph's sizable early leads left Chester somewhat one-dimensional favoring the pass. Aloi also had little time to throw given Randolph's strong rush that resulted in five sacks. And the times when Aloi had receivers open, Randolph defensive backs showed their athleticism by closing quickly on the ball.

"They were just a really good, physical team,'' Chester back Lawrence Young said. "They came ready to play.''

Young caught himself. "We were ready to play too,'' he said. "But I just give it to them. We knew they were a physical team, but we didn't know they were that physical. They were just a good power team.''

Young talked about Chester's halftime adjustments, which included position changes in the defensive backfield. It paid off when Angel Suarez intercepted a deep ball tipped by teammate Ryan Cabrera midway through the third quarter with Randolph leading 35-7.

"But then they adjusted to it,'' Young said.

So you could add intelligence to Randolph's arsenal that included size, speed, strength and athleticism.

Tough to beat a team with all of that.

So Chester was left to play much of the second half knowing the outcome. The Hambletonians never packed it in, never stopped trying to find a way. It's one of the attributes Young will remember most from his teammates, from this team. And it's why Young walked off the Carrier Dome turf with his head held high, no regrets.

"We did great things this year,'' he said. "I am so proud of this team. I'm going to remember this season for the rest of my life. I've played with them my whole life. We are like family.''